This book begs the question, should Shakespeare enthusiasts be allowed to write novels? I am not sure they should. I get it, he was a playwright, he was witty, he was innovative… but people, it’s been a long time, we can move forward. But no, Brown, lets her love of Shakespeare flow in this novel. The Andreas sisters get their name, The Weird Sisters from, where else Shakespeare, and their father who is, coincidentally, a scholar of The Immortal Bard, which makes for endless (and I do mean endless) quotes.
Rose, Bianca, and Cordy (all from Shakespeare, I’ll let you figure it out), the Andreas sisters, are a collective hot mess. Rose is annoyingly responsible, Bianca is a superficial thief, and Cordy is homeless, pregnant, and without a clue. Happily they get it sorted out by the end of the novel. Brown is a talented writer, and at times the beauty of her prose is like a great sunset. One just has to pause and take it in for a minute, but at other times, the story gets bogged down by the weird (yes, pun intended) narrative voice. During certain narrative portions Brown uses a collective voice of the sisters. Yes, a collective voice. So, she will be talking about one of the sisters, with the collective voice. It is strange and off putting and would throw me out of the narrative every time.
I also had a hard time relating to this book. Maybe it is because I don’t have sisters, and my brothers and I get along, but the whole underlying mentality of these sisters continually comparing themselves to each other to form their own collective identity is bizarre. I don’t believe that is how women act in general, nor do I believe that is how families work. The Weird Sisters did accomplish one thing, I see potential in Eleanor Brown and have an interest in her career. She’s talented, there is no doubt, and I would like to see (stepping away from Shakespeare, of course) what else she has to offer.
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